Short changed on a job, what should I do?

I got paid for a show but I was short changed about $1. Has this ever happened to anyone here? I normally get paid the right amount so I'm sure it's just a mistake. It's only $1 but it's still money though, should I get them to correct it? or should I just let it go?

You've got to be kidding... sure $1 is $1... call it a $1 education in making sure the amount paid is exactly the amount on the invoice, and the amount on the invoice is exactly correct for the hours, supplies, miscellaneous, etc. agreed upon in the first place.

Call it a cheap education.

In the past, I've been stiffed it hasn't been for $1... several $100 and the 'education' was, no matter how much pleading, never deliver the deliverables until the bill has been paid. People will promise to pay, but then disappear into the desert or wherever. I did it twice for different reasons and each time I was never contacted, or obviously, never paid...

Presuming you have an ok relationship with the prod co.. and they will give you work in the future.. if its really getting to you.. just bring it up as a joke... if they are really sorry about their mistake and offer to pay you.. of course just say its not a problem.. and turn it down.. but you have made your point in a non confrontational way..

If you have been ripped off $1.. very unlikely .. don't worry.. my worst has been about $7,000.. big prod co went bankrupt.. never got a cent.. its going to happen one day.. and sometimes there is nothing you can do ..

In the greater scheme of things $1 isn't worth getting excited about, not getting paid at all because the company has gone bankrupt or only a percentage because that's all they're capiable of payimg before bankruptcy is the more anoying.

There's a couple reasons why it might have happened:
1. It could be an honest mistakes of typing something like 599 instead of 600 where both hands are one character to the left.

2. They're trying to avoid some sort of financial reporting requirement that has a cutoff.

3. They running a fraud where they pocket the $1 because they know nobody reads financial line items and they have your invoice to match the actual withdrawl.

I rate my clients -
A = clients I would like to clone, do word of mouth, growing revenue stream
B = Normal good clients, pay on time but don't really grow me.

C = Ask for discounts, not fun, slow payers

D = "Drop", Bad clients, request inferior work, unethical requests.

So because shorting $1 off the invoice is taking a discount, this client would automatically be a C client, unless they start requesting more work. My C clients have a higher advance requirement... so if it was work thet didn't require an advance then maybe 50%... if it involved travel then maybe 100%, etc.

If I start getting additional good work from them even with a $1 off each invoice Then they probably are running a fraud and I'd have to decide if I treat them as an A client for the growth or D client for the fraud.

In my case they were avoiding reporting requirements (they were a nonprof) ... and within a year they had lost all their funding.